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Corporate titles orbusiness titles are given to corporate officers to show what duties and responsibilities they have in the organization. Such titles are used by publicly and privately held for-profitcorporations,cooperatives,non-profit organizations, educational institutions,partnerships, andsole proprietorships that also confer corporate titles.

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There are considerable variations in the composition and responsibilities of corporate titles.

Within the corporate office or corporate center of a corporation, some corporations have achairman andchief executive officer (CEO) as the top-ranking executive, while the number two is thepresident andchief operating officer (COO); other corporations have a president and CEO but no official deputy. Typically, senior managers are "higher" thanvice presidents, although many times a senior officer may also hold a vice president title, such as executive vice president andchief financial officer (CFO). Theboard of directors is technically not part of management itself, although its chairman may be considered part of the corporate office if he or she is an executive chairman.

A corporation often consists of different businesses, whose senior executives report directly to the CEO or COO, but that depends on the form of the business. If organized as adivision then the top manager is often known as anexecutive vice president (EVP). If that business is asubsidiary which has considerably more independence, then the title might be chairman and CEO.

In many countries, particularly in Europe and Asia, there is a separate executive board for day-to-day business andsupervisory board (elected by shareholders) for control purposes. In these countries, the CEO presides over the executive board and the chairman presides over the supervisory board, and these two roles will always be held by different people. This ensures a distinction betweenmanagement by the executive board andgovernance by the supervisory board. This seemingly allows for clear lines of authority. There is a strong parallel here with the structure of government, which tends to separate the politicalcabinet from the managementcivil service.

In the United States and other countries that follow a single-board corporate structure, the board of directors (elected by the shareholders) is often equivalent to the European or Asian supervisory board, while the functions of the executive board may be vested either in the board of directors or in a separate committee, which may be called an operating committee (J.P. Morgan Chase),^[1] management committee (Goldman Sachs), executive committee (Lehman Brothers), executive council (Hewlett-Packard), or executive board (HeiG) composed of the division/subsidiary heads and senior officers that report directly to the CEO.

State laws in the United States traditionally required certain positions to be created within every corporation, such aspresident,secretary andtreasurer. Today, the approach under theModel Business Corporation Act, which is employed in many states, is to grant corporations discretion in determining which titles to have, with the only mandated organ being the board of directors.^[2]

Some states that do not employ the MBCA continue to require that certain offices be established. Under the law ofDelaware, where most large US corporations are established, stock certificates must be signed by two officers with titles specified by law (e.g. a president and secretary or a president and treasurer).^[3] Every corporation incorporated inCalifornia must have a chairman of the board or a president (or both), as well as a secretary and a chief financial officer.^[4]

Limited liability company (LLC)-structured companies are generally run directly by their members, but the members can agree to appoint officers such as a CEO or to appoint "managers" to operate the company.^[5]

American companies are generally led by a CEO. In some companies, the CEO also has the title of "president". In other companies, a president is a different person, and the primary duties of the two positions are defined in the company's bylaws (or the laws of the governing legal jurisdiction). Many companies also have a CFO, a COO and other senior positions such aschief legal officer (CLO),chief strategy officer (CSO),chief marketing officer (CMO), etc. that report to the president and CEO. The next level, which are not executive positions, is middle management and may be called "vice presidents", "directors" or "managers", depending on the size and required managerial depth of the company.^[6]

In British English, the title ofmanaging director is broadly synonymous with that of chief executive officer.^[7] Managing directors do not have any particular authority under theCompanies Act in the UK, but do haveimplied authority based on the general understanding of what their position entails, as well as any authority expressly delegated by the board of directors.^[8]

In Japan, corporate titles are roughly standardized across companies and organizations; although there is variation from company to company, corporate titles within a company are always consistent, and the large companies in Japan generally follow the same outline.^[9] These titles are the formal titles that are used on business cards.^[10] Korean corporate titles are similar to those of Japan.

Legally, Japanese and Korean companies are only required to have a board of directors with at least one representative director.^{[11][citation needed]} In Japanese, a company director is called atorishimariyaku (取締役) and arepresentative director is called adaihyō torishimariyaku (代表取締役). The equivalent Korean titles areisa (이사, 理事) anddaepyo-isa (대표이사, 代表理事). These titles are often combined with lower titles, e.g.senmu torishimariyaku orjōmu torishimariyaku for Japanese executives who are also board members.^[12][13] Most Japanese companies also havestatutory auditors, who operate alongside the board of directors in supervisory roles.

Under the commercial code in Japan,Jugyōin (従業員) meaning the "employee", is different fromKaishain (会社員), meaning the "stockholders".

The typical structure of executive titles in large companies includes the following:^[12][13][14]

The top management group, comprisingjomu/sangmu and above, is often referred to collectively as "cadre" or "senior management" (幹部 or 重役;kambu orjuyaku in Japanese;ganbu orjungyŏk in Korean).

Some Japanese and Korean companies have also adopted American-style titles, but these are not yet widespread and their usage varies. For example, although there is a Korean translation for "chief operating officer" (최고운영책임자, choego unyŏng chaegimja), not companies have yet adopted it with the exception of a few multi-nationals such asSamsung andCJ (a spin-off from Samsung), while the CFO title is often used alongside other titles such asbu-sajang (SEVP) orJŏnmu (EVP).

Since the late 1990s, many Japanese companies have introduced the title ofshikkō yakuin (執行役員) or 'officer', seeking to emulate the separation of directors and officers found in American companies. In 2002, the statutory title ofshikkō yaku (執行役) was introduced for use in companies that introduced a three-committee structure in their board of directors. The titles are frequently given tobuchō and higher-level personnel. Although the two titles are very similar in intent and usage, there are several legal distinctions:shikkō yaku make their own decisions in the course of performing work delegated to them by the board of directors, and are considered managers of the company rather than employees, with a legal status similar to that of directors.Shikkō yakuin are considered employees of the company that follow the decisions of the board of directors, although in some cases directors may have theshikkō yakuin title as well.^[18][19]

The highest-level executives insenior management usually have titles beginning with "chief" and ending with "officer", forming what is often called the "C-suite",^[20] or "CxO", where "x" is a variable that could be any functional area (not to be confused withCXO).^[21] The traditional three such officers areCEO,COO, andCFO. Depending on the management structure, titles may exist instead of, or be blended/overlapped with, other traditional executive titles, such aspresident, various designations ofvice presidents (e.g. VP of marketing), andgeneral managers ordirectors of various divisions (such as director of marketing); the latter may or may not imply membership of theboard of directors.

Certain other prominent positions have emerged, some of which are sector-specific. For example,chief audit executive (CAE),chief procurement officer (CPO) andchief risk officer (CRO) positions are often found in many types of financial services companies. Technology companies of all sorts now tend to have achief technology officer (CTO) to manage technology development. Achief information officer (CIO) oversees information technology (IT) matters, either in companies that specialize in IT or in any kind of company that relies on it for supporting infrastructure.

Many companies now also have achief marketing officer (CMO), particularly mature companies in competitive sectors, wherebrand management is a high priority. A chief value officer (CVO) is introduced in companies where business processes and organizational entities are focused on the creation and maximization of value. Approximately 50% of the S&P 500 companies have created achief strategy officer (CSO) in their top management team to lead strategic planning and manage inorganic growth, which provides a long range perspective versus the tactical view of the COO or CFO. This function often replaces a COO on the C-Suite team, in cases where the company wants to focus on growth rather than efficiency and cost containment. Achief administrative officer (CAO) may be found in many large complex organizations that have various departments or divisions. Additionally, many companies now call their top diversity leadership position thechief diversity officer (CDO). However, this and many other nontraditional and lower-ranking titles are not universally recognized as corporate officers, and they tend to be specific to particular organizational cultures or the preferences of employees.

Chairman of the board – presiding officer of the corporate board of directors. The chairman influences the board of directors, which in turn elects and removes the officers of a corporation and oversees the human, financial, environmental and technical operations of a corporation.

• The CEO may also hold the title of "chairman", resulting in an executive chairman. In this case, the board frequently names an independent member of the board as a lead director. The C-suite is normally led by the CEO.
• Executive chairman – the chairman's post may also exist as an office separate from that of CEO, and it is considered an executive chairman if that titleholder wields influence over company operations, such asVince McMahon ofWWE,Steve Case ofAOL Time Warner, andDouglas Flint ofHSBC. In particular, the group chairmanship of HSBC is considered the top position of that institution, outranking the chief executive, and is responsible for leading the board and representing the company in meetings with government figures.^[22][23] Prior to the creation of the group management board in 2006, HSBC's chairman essentially held the duties of a chief executive at an equivalent institution, while HSBC's chief executive served as the deputy. After the 2006 reorganization, the management cadre ran the business, while the chairman oversaw the controls of the business through compliance and audit and the direction of the business.^[24]
• Non-executive chairman – also a separate post from the CEO, unlike an executive chairman, a non-executive chairman does not interfere in day-to-day company matters. Across the world, many companies have separated the roles of chairman and CEO, often resulting in a non-executive chairman, saying that this move improves corporate governance.
• Chief business officer is a corporate senior executive who assumes full management responsibility for the company's deal making, provides leadership and executes a deal strategy that will allow the company to fulfill its scientific/technology mission and build shareholder value, provides managerial guidance to the company's product development staff as needed.
• Chief of staff is a corporate director level manager who has overall responsibility for the staff activity within the company who often would have responsibility of hiring and firing of the highest level managers and sometimes directors. They can work with and report directly to managing directors and the chief executive officer.
• Commissioner
• Financial control officer, FCO or FC, also comptroller or controller – supervises accounting and financial reporting within an organization
• Director or member of a board of directors – high-level official with a fiduciary responsibility of overseeing the operation of a corporation and elects or removes officers of a corporation; nominally,directors, other than thechairman are usually not considered to be employees of the companyper se, although they may receive compensation, often including benefits; in publicly held companies. Aboard of directors is normally made up of members (directors) who are a mixture of corporate officials who are also management employees of the company (inside directors) and persons who are not employed by the company in any capacity (outside directors ornon-executive directors). In privately held companies, theboard of directors often only consists of the statutory corporate officials, and insole proprietorship andpartnerships, the board is entirely optional, and if it does exist, only operates in an advisory capacity to the owner orpartners. Non-profit corporations' governing board members may be calleddirectors like most for-profit corporations, or an alternative liketrustees,governors, etc.
• Director – a manager of managers within an organization who is often responsible for a major business function and who sometimes reports to a vice president (in some financial services companies the title vice president has a different meaning). Often used with name of a functional area;finance director,director of finance,marketing director, and so on. Not to be confused with amember of the board of directors, who is also referred to as adirector. This is a middle management and not an executive level position, unless it is in the banking industry. Alternatively, a manager of managers is often referred to as a "senior manager' or as an "associate vice president", depending upon levels of management, and industry type.
• President – legally recognized highest "titled" corporate officer, and usually a member of the board of directors. There is much variation; often the CEO also holds the title of president, while in other organizations if there is a separate CEO, the president is then second highest-ranking position. In such a case the president is often the COO and is considered to be more focused upon daily operations compared to the CEO, who is supposed to be the visionary. If the corporate president is not the COO (such asRichard Parsons of Time Warner from 1995 to 2001), then many division heads report directly to the CEO themselves, with the president taking on special assignments from the CEO.
• Secretary orcompany secretary – legally recognized "titled" corporate officer who reports to the board of directors and is responsible for keeping the records of the board and the company. This title is often concurrently held by thetreasurer in a dual position calledsecretary-treasurer; both positions may be concurrently held by theCFO. Note, however, that thesecretary has a reporting line to the board of directors, regardless of any other reporting lines conferred by concurrent titles.
• Treasurer – legally recognized corporate officer entrusted with the fiduciary responsibility of caring for company funds. Often this title is held concurrently with that ofsecretary in a dual role calledsecretary-treasurer. It can also be held concurrently with the title ofCFO or fall under the jurisdiction of one, though the CFO tends to oversee the finance department instead, which deals with accounting and audits, while the treasurer deals directly with company funds. Note, however, that thetreasurer has a reporting line to the board of directors, regardless of any other reporting lines conferred by concurrent titles.
• Superintendent
• Owner (sometimes proprietor or sole proprietor, forsole proprietorships)
• Partner – Used in many different ways. This may indicate a co-owner as in a legal partnership or may be used in a general way to refer to a broad class of employees or temporary/contract workers who are often assigned field or customer service work. Associate is often used in a similar way.
• Vice chair orvice chairman – officer of the board of directors who may stand in for thechairman in his or her absence. However, this type of vice chairman title on its own usually has only an advisory role and not an operational one (such asTed Turner at Time Warner).^[25] An unrelated definition ofvice chair describes an executive who is higher ranking or has more seniority thanexecutive vice president. Sometimes, EVPs report to the vice chair, who in turn reports directly to the CEO (so vice chairs in effect constitute an additional layer of management), other vice chairs have more responsibilities but are otherwise on an equal tier with EVPs. Executive vice chairman are usuallynot on the board of directors.Royal Bank of Canada previously used vice chairs in their inner management circle until 2004 but have since renamed them asgroup heads.

• Supervisor
• Foreman
• General manager or GM
• Manager
• Of counsel – A lawyer working on a part-time or temporary basis for a company or law firm.
• Vice president – Middle or upper manager in a corporation. They often appear in various hierarchical layers such asexecutive vice president,senior vice president,associate vice president, orassistant vice president, with EVP usually considered the highest and usually reporting to the CEO or president. Many times, corporate officers such as theCFO,COO,CSO,CIO,CTO,secretary, ortreasurer will concurrently holdvice president titles, commonly EVP or SVP. Vice presidents in small companies are also referred to as chiefs of a certain division, such as vice president for finance, or vice president for administration. In some financial contexts, the title of vice president is actually subordinate to a director.

• Corporate liability
• Identification with corporation
• International Executive Resources Group
• List of corporate titles
• Outline of management

• Taking Stock - Corporate Execs Get Scammed,Federal Bureau of Investigation

• Corporate titles
• Business occupations
• Management occupations
• Corporate directors
• Corporation-related lists
• Lists of occupations

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